Truffle Capital

POPULIS

As Europe’s largest producer of vertical content online Populis has enjoyed double digit revenue growth since 2006, which on average has doubled each year culminating in 2010 revenues of 57.7 Million Euros. Innovation in online publishing practices has also resulted in a steady growth of traffic and content production.

The Group, which owns and operates over 600 websites through its media brands Excite Europe, Better Deals, Blogo and Blogosfere, as well as 700,000 websites in the mokono network, drives over 35 million unique users every month to its portfolio of web properties.

Producing over 35,000 items of content with a blended business model of quality, crowdsourced content on demand via its platform Populis Create, and premium content on some of Europe’s top professional blogs and vertical websites, its growing network of media properties is attracting ever more attention from consumers and advertisers alike.

Luca Ascani, Chairman and Co Founder of Populis said, “We are absolutely delighted to be included in the top 10 of this year’s Deloitte Technology Fast 500 EMEA.

It is a huge honour for us, and great recognition for the entire team that has worked so hard to make Populis the leading next generation media company. We’re looking forward to an exciting 2012 as the market continues to present us with new challenges and opportunities.”

“Making the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 is commendable in today’s highly competitive technology industry,” said David Halstead, Deloitte United Kingdom, partner in charge of the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 EMEA programme. “We congratulate Populis on being one of the 500 fastest growing technology companies in the region. Achieving sustained revenue growth over five years is a tremendous achievement. Populis’s phenomenal growth puts it in select company.”

In addition to ranking in the Deloitte Technology Fast 500, Populis ranked number one in the Irish Deloitte Technology Fast 50, which is a ranking of the 50 fastest growing technology firms in Ireland.

Overall, companies that ranked on the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 EMEA 2011 programme had an average growth rate of 1,287% percent.

Deloitte Technology Fast 500 EMEA selection and qualifications

The Technology Fast 500 list is compiled from the Deloitte EMEA Technology Fast 50 programmes, nominations submitted directly to the Technology Fast 500, and public company database research. To qualify for the Technology Fast 500, entrants must have had base-year operating revenues of at least €50,000 and current-year operating revenues of at least €800,000. Entrants must also be public or private companies headquartered in EMEA and must be a “technology company,” defined as a company that develops or owns proprietary technology that contributes to a significant portion of the company’s operating revenues; or manufactures a technology-related product; or devotes a high percentage of effort to the research and development of technology. Using other companies’ technology in a unique way does not qualify.

About Deloitte Technology Fast 500 EMEA

The Deloitte Technology Fast 500 EMEA is the region’s most objective industry-ranking standard to focus on the technology field and recognizes technology companies that have achieved the fastest rates of revenue growth in Europe, the Middle East and Africa during the past five years. Combining technological innovation, entrepreneurship and rapid growth, Fast 500 companies – large, small, public and private – span a variety of industry sectors, and are leaders in hardware, software, telecom, semiconductors, internet, media, life sciences and emerging areas, such as clean technology. The programme is supported by the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 initiatives, which rank high growth technology companies by location or specifically defined geographic area and is run by the Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited’s Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT) global industry group. Co-sponsors include Taylor Wessing, a leading International law firm with a focus on the industries of tomorrow, and Fidelity Growth Partners Europe, a venture and growth capital investor which backs entrepreneur with aspiration for greatness in the IT and clean technology sectors across Europe.

About Deloitte

Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a UK private company limited by guarantee, and its network of member firms, each of which is a legally separate and independent entity. Please see www.deloitte.com/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited and its member firms. Deloitte provides audit, tax, consulting, and financial advisory services to public and private clients spanning multiple industries. With a globally connected network of member firms in more than 140 countries, Deloitte brings world-class capabilities and deep local expertise to help clients succeed wherever they operate. Deloitte’s approximately 170,000 professionals are committed to becoming the standard of excellence.

About Populis

Populis is one of Europe’s fastest growing digital media companies (GP Bullhound Media Momentum Awards 2010, 2011) and European leader in the production of multilingual vertical content. Populis crowdsources, distributes and monetizes over 35,000 items of compelling content in 8 languages per month for a vibrant network of 600 fully owned and operated blogs, websites and web portals including Excite Europe, Better Deals, Blogo, Blogosfere and over 700,000 sites in the mokono network.

Populis is a pan-European company with a team of over 130 working across offices in Ireland, Italy and Germany; active in the UK, Germany, Netherlands, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, US, Australia, Russia and Brazil. www.populis.com